Zomber
The Zomber is a heavy bomber, piloted by a Zombie Pilot and used to drop heavy ordnance to the plants. It first appears at the Apocalypse levels. Overview The Zomber flies at an approximate speed of 2 blocks per second. It first degrades after 14 shots, where the left engine catches on fire, while the bomber gets slightly slower and may start strafing to adjascent rows. The second degrade happens at 28 shots, where the second engine also catches on fire and the plane starts swaying. At 34 shots, the bomber will explode in midair, and the Zombie Pilot will pop out in his capsule. Using an explosive with the properties of a Jalapeno will cause 14 damage to the Zomber, but will kill the pilot if it is the finishing hit. Using an explosive with the properties of a Cherry Bomb will destroy the Zomber, but let the Pilot survive. Using an explosive with the properties of a Doom-Shroom will kill both, as will an explosive with anti-air properties. Zombers will usually come in packs of 3. When they do, they are never directly adjascent ot each other, except after strafing due to engine loss. However, they can also fly solitary. Attack A Zomber can hold up to 3 bombs in earlier levels, or 5 in later ones. It will release a bomb when directly above a plant, while it can also attack plants in adjascent rows. Each bomb will cause 30 damage to the plant it hits, and 3 damage to plants in a 3x3 area around the target. Because of the very short delays between each bomb, a normal or similar Umbrella Leaf can protect two plants very close together before dissapearing, but not all 3. At later levels, some Zombers may be painted black instead of red. Those Zombers do not carry conventional munitions, but a WMD (Weapon of Mass Destruction). Then depending totally on (un)luck, that weapon will be either: 1. A nuclear weapon. Once that weapon detonates, the plant at ground zero will be obliterated and replaced with a crater. Plants at a 3x3 area will take 30 damage (killing most non-defensive plants), while at a 5x5 area, plants will take 3 damage. Some toughened-up versions of the Umbrella Leaf, or other similar plants, may be able to protect the plants under their radius. 2. A biological weapon. On detonation, all plants at ground zero will be infected. Infected plants will continuously take bite damage until they reach 2 bites -if they are completely biological. Bionic plants will stop at 8 bites, while completely mechanical plants will be unaffected. Only certain types of Umbrella Leaves (not necessarily the ones who can block the nukes ) can protect the plants at their radius, although metal-plated versions will not get damaged themselves. Ways of damaging: Zombers can only be destroyed by catapult plants (Melon-Pult, Kernel-Pult, etc.), instant-kill exploding plants (see Overview for a detailed view of effects), dedicated anti-air plants (AAA Gun, Treesile, etc.) variations of Cacti, or other plants that can make angled shots. Almanac Entry The lastest technology on the shock-and-brains strategy, the elite Zomber squadrons are constructed, maintained and staged in the Zomboss Mountain itself. Zomboss even insisted that some of them be applied with stealth coating, even though most brains' houses do not have a radar plate. But you simply cannot make such a project without some cool and expensive military paint job.